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Thank you for the great entries to the thread on Sharjah Old Airport and related issues on aviation in the lower Gulf. Great pix Jebal Akdhar and the story of the Firq-Saiq run which I am able to drop into dinner conversation to great amusement!.
It reminds me of various memories of growing up in Bahrain during the '60's when the 'old man' was flying for Gulf Aviation. (Gulf Aviation…..the original Gulf airline, all the others are up-starts!! I mean start ups…..!).
I was intrigued with the pix of the Pioneer aircraft which I remember along with the Beverley's at that time as well as a collection of the 'V' bombers that used to pass through on a regular basis! As I was at the RAF Muharraq school we were aware of the different flights & the ground crews who were brought in for different exercises and operations occurring in the area….
The Pioneers I remember well as I remember that I used to cycle up to the airport in the early '70's to clamber over the wrecks of old Pioneers that had been stripped of any useful items and dumped behind the Gulf Aviation hangar. Used to be fun climbing up around the cockpit and checking out if there was anything still interesting to take as a souvenir….until the old Baluchi night watchman would shoo us way with his night stick ! Ahhh …airport security was in a different league in those days ….
With regard to the services and aircraft in the Lower Gulf at that time I hope that some of you might have an interest in the photos that I have listed on the thread.
There is one of the old man with the DC3 on the ground in Ibri, Sultanate of Oman, pictured with Capt. Lloyd Brickhill, plus the essential airport staff ….!! ( Note; the firefighting equipment in front of the aircraft forward of the starboard engine ready for start up….)
The other two pix are of the leased Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company DH Dove reg:
(G-AMUZ), featuring myself with Bob Milne's sons, the GM of ADPC at the time.
During school holidays he would take his sons from Bahrain to AUH, in the Dove taking the best part of the day, going via Doha, Jebel Dhanna & Tariff. The pic is of Tariff or Abu Dhabi International Airport !!
I am sure that we were only asked to come along to chase the goats off the runway before take off!!
If there is a website that focuses on Gulf aviation from the past & flying in the Trucial Oman I would love to contribute and get others to do so as well! It would be nice to remind certain airlines and their management that they have a lot to thank the original pioneering aviators for opening up the routes & generating business in the Lower Gulf all those years ago. Humility is not a quality of the current airlines !